Falling Statistics Falling is the most common cause of traumatic brain injury among the aging population. As the body physiologically declines with slower reflexes and muscle loss, it can be harder for older adults to prevent a trip and catch…
How Nature Maintains Stability Antagonistic pleiotropy is an evolutionary theory that describes how genes that were helpful to us when we were younger become harmful to us as we age. Simply put, genes that enhance early-life fitness are now responsible…
What is Hoarding Disorder? According to the American Psychiatric Association (APA), hoarding is when one has difficulty getting rid of possessions, regardless of their actual value. Parting with these items causes significant distress, which is why they choose to keep…
The Unethical Retrieval of Henrietta Lacks’s Cells In 1951, Henrietta Lacks was admitted to Johns Hopkins Hospital because she was experiencing vaginal bleeding. She was a 31-year-old woman from Virginia and a mother of five children. During this racially segregated…
Defining Dysphagia June is Dysphagia Awareness Month! The prefix, -dys means “difficulty,” and the suffix, -phagia means “to swallow;” therefore, dysphagia means difficulty swallowing foods and liquids. Although swallowing can be possible with dysphagia, it is often accompanied by extreme…
What are GBS and CIDP May was GBS and CIDP Awareness Month! GBS and CIDP are both autoimmune conditions where the immune system attacks its own cells. They are both characterized by the degradation of the peripheral nerves (i.e., nerves…
April is National Donate Life Month, an annual observance to raise awareness about the importance of organ, eye, and tissue donation, and to honor the generosity of donors and their families who have given the gift of life to others.…
Deep Dive Into Slime Molds Slime molds have been of great interest to memory researchers. Taxonomically speaking, these organisms are single-celled eukaryotes from the Protista kingdom. This means they do not have a brain, nor are they a fungus, animal,…
Explaining Oneirology Have you ever been curious to learn more about dreams? Why do we dream? What do they represent? If so, oneirology may be of interest to you! Oneirology is the scientific field of dreams in relation to brain…
Longevity Research Significance Longevity research examines how we can live longer, healthier lives free from disease. In other words, it seeks to boost healthy aging and increase our healthspan, not just our lifespan. It does this by analyzing the hallmarks…
